Wire feed mechanism



April 30, 19407 y R. HOFFERT v 2,199,241

WIRE FEED ME CHANISM Original Filed July 16, 1937 Z' .2 .79 i y .75 ,ya

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Patented Apr.y 30, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT ori-fics g v M I l "".v,199,241 l WIRE FEED MECHANISM Taty G. Hoffertfnacinej wist -f original, applicati@ ,July "is, 1937', Y seal No. 153,998..y Divided 'and this application August 17, iesalserialno. 225,474

6 Claims'. y(o1. 14o-131) .This "invention lrelates to wire feed mechanimsprimarily fornstitchingmor stapling machin?? f A f vapling machine ofa type in which the presentlinvention may be utilised to advantage is .disclosed in my copending application Serial llg.l 153,@98, ofwhich the present application is a divisioni In the machine therein ydisclosed the wire from which the staples are formed is suppliedunder tensionA from an overhead reel and is intermittently"advanced rapidly and in accurately measured lengths to the staple forming and driving mechanism. This requires a pull of considerable magnitude upon the wire and a secure grip quickly and accurately applied and released.

An object of the present invention is to pro` vide a wire feed mechanism having improved feed rolls designed to effect prompt and accurate intermittent feeding of the Wire to desired lengthsl mechanism constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on a slightly larger scale of the Wire feed mechanism taken substantially along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view in elevation on a still larger scale of the rear of one of the feed rollers shown in Fig. 1.

The wire feed mechanism shown comprises a pair of feed rollers I and II, designed to grip between them the wire I2 which is to be fed to the machine. The rollers I0 and II are each mounted upon the forward end of a shaft I3 or I4, the shafts being carried in appropriate bosses I5 and I6 formed on a bracket `arm II extending laterally from the frame Work of a stapling machine. The rollers are rotated in synchronism and in opposite directions by intermeshing gears I8 and I9 of the same size, mounted upon the rear ends of shafts I'3 and I4. These gears are driven through a gear from the main shaft of the machine in a manner to effect one complete revolution of the rolls ID and II for each Vrollers is thus equipped.

kcyeihr operationen trie machine, s :disciose'd in my .copending application above identified. ".Tlefeed rollersfj and vII are 'of novel. design, e'ach'fy mprising fa rather heavy.' sheet metal stamping shapedftofprovide a' disk-'like central supporting' web 2'I and afsubs'tantially 'cylindri'l cal flange l2'2A having4 a portion struck fup to pro-'- vide"`a slightly, projecting, concentric wire feed cani ,portiony l23 of lprede'illerminedlength. In this instance'thefcam 23a`iid`vadjacent Vportions 'of '1 uit sans@ -2 2V @reach 'relier is' freed from the web by appropriate means, such as an arcuate slot 24 provided in the periphery of the web, so as to render the freed portions of the flange more or less yieldable and thereby permit the intermediate cam portion, supported thereby, to yield very slightly under the wire gripping pressure. By thus yieldably supporting the vcam portion 23 at both ends, a more effective and secure gripping of the wire is obtained and all danger of marring the wire is eliminated.

Although in the machine shown, the cam portion of both rolls is thus yieldably supported, excellent results are attainable if only one of the 25 Each of the rollers I'II and II is removably fixed to the end of its supporting shaft I3 or I4 by appropriate means, such as a bolt 25, which passes through a central aperture 26 in the web 2| and serves to `clamp the web against the end of the shaft. One of the' rollers is preferably locked against rotation with respect to its shaft by keys or pins 21 positioned in the shaft and projecting through appropriate notches 28 formed in the periphery of the aperture 26. In order to vary the length of the overlap of the opposed cam portions 23 of the rollers, to thereby regulate the length of the Wire advanced therebetween at each cyclev of operation, the keys 21 are omitted from the other of the rollers to permit angular adjustment thereof with respect to its shaft.

As the wire under tension comes from the feed reel above, it is directed to the feed mechanism by a guide 29. As the rollers I0 and II' rotate, the cam portions 23 approach each other, and at the moment when the leading edge of one cam comes into close proximity tothe opposed cam 23, the wire is'gripped therebetween, and carried forward until the trailing edge of the other cam starts to recede from the rst mentioned cam, at which moment the wire is releasedv from the rollers and comes to rest. Since the wire is grippedbetween the rollers only during that portion of their cycle when one of their cam surfaces 23 is actually opposed by the other, rotative adjustment of one roller upon its shaft, that is, with respect to the other roller, Will cause a greater or less portion of the cam surfaces 23 to overlap each other during each cycle, and will thus vary the length of Wire that Will be delivered at each revolution.

Various changes may be made in the embodiment of the invention hereinabove specically described without departing from or sacricing the advantages of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

i. A Wire feed mechanism comprising a pair of oppositely rotating members each having an arcuate feed cam portion for coaction With a corresponding cam portion of the other to intermittently advance the Wire therebetween, and a separate yeldable support for each end of the feed cam portion of at least one of said members.

2. A feed mechanism comprising a pair of oppositely rotating members, at least one of said members having an arcuate cam portion for coaction with the other member to intermittently advance a strip of material interposed therebetween, and separate means for yieldably supporting said cam portion at each end.

3. A feed mechanism comprising a pair of oppositely rotating members, each having an arcuate feed cam coacting with the feed cam of the other to intermittently advance a strip of material interposed therebetween, and separate means for yieldably supporting at least one of said feed cams at each end, at least one of said members being rotatably adjustable relative to the other to regulate the extent f advance of the strip fed thereby.

4. A feed mechanism comprising a pair of oppositely rotating members, at least one of said members comprising a metal stamping having a supportingweb and a peripheral flange and pro-v jecting laterally therefrom, a portion of said iiange being formed to provide a radially projecting arcuate cam for coaction with said other member to intermittently advance a Work strip interposed therebetween.

5. A feed roller of the character described comprising a metal stamping having a supporting web and a peripheral flange, a portion of said flange being shaped to form an arcuate cam, said web having a slot adjacent said cam and extending beyond the ends of the latter to permit said cam to yield relative to said web. y

6. En a Wire feed mechanism of the type described, a rotating feed member comprising a central web, an outer portion formed integrally therewith and having an arcuate peripheral cam, said cam being separated from said central web by a slot extending throughout the length of said cam and beyond each end thereof.

ROY I-IOFFERT.

CERTIFICATE A OF CORRECTION. Patent No. 2,199,2LL1. April 5o, 19m.

' f ROY G. HOFFERT.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2, second column, line lO, claim lp, strike out "and" after "flange" and that the l said Letters Patent should be read with this correction there-in that the same may conform to the record of. the c ase in the Patent Office.

`signed and sealed this 18th day of June. A. D. 19m;

Henry Van Arsdale (SeaI) Y Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

